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Dan J.

My current drug combo is Truvada, Reyataz & Norvir. My kidney fuction was high yesterday. Doc thinks it is because of Truvada. He wants me to immediatly stop taking the Truvada and start either Combivir/Ziagen/Reyataz/Norvir or Trizivir/Zerit/Reyataz/Norvir. Isn't there a simpler drug combination? I know I don't drink nearly as much water as I should through out the day. If I started drinking more would that make a difference?I do not want to take combivir/ziagen. I took ziagen before and had an allergic reaction to it & I when I took Zerit before the neuropathy side effects caused me some problems. Really need a once a day combo, something that is easy to adhear to... Suggestions???

when you say your "kidney function was high yesterday"..you mean your creatinine clearance?and how high is high? is this something new, ie have you ever had kidney problems in the past? Kidneys, they can struggle a bit form time to time,lots of reasons..isn't necessarily cause for panic and med changes, perhaps just some more investigations..

if there is a problem, with the kidneys,related to meds, it is probably the viread part of the truvada. I have impaired kidney function, yet still take truvada, i just take it as the individual drugs,and the viread is dosed lower. so that might be an option to talk about with your dr.Your dr's suggestions would have you on 3-4 NRTIs, + a boosted PI - is there a reason for this, ie resistance? if your current combo is working, just wondered if this would be necessary..avoiding zerit, if at all possible, would be good, ditto azt if you can.. & putting you back on ziagen, sounds downright daft, if you were allergic to it?another option, might be worth talking to him about using 2 boosted PIs + the FTC part of the truvada you currently take..

Main thing,i think, is to work out what is happening with your kidneys, whether this is a one off, or has some other cause, before jumping into changing combo drugs straight away?

Dan,I recently had to stop taking Viread because of high creatinine levels (2.2 vs. normal of 1.3). However, the decision to stop was based on three successive readings that were high, not just one. After stopping the Viread, my creatinine levels went down some, but not enough. I then stopped Tricor (triglyceride med), and my kidney function returned to normal.

Also, one of the options offered to you included Trizivir and Zerit. Zerit is notorious for causing lipodystrophy and neuropathy, and AZT is also associated with wasting.

I agree with Kate that 3-4 NRTIs just doesn't sound right, especially when one of them is Zerit. And going on abacavir (Ziagen) is very dangerous. There are very specific warnings about NOT going back on Ziagen if you had an allergic reaction the first time.

Can you see another doctor for a second opinion? Based on what you've said, I don't have a lot of confidence in your doctor.

There aren't that many med options left for me unless I go Fuzeon/Presista because I am either allergic or have resistance to other drug combos. Doc mentioned the possibility of taking the Kaletra tablet 4 pills twice a day but he said it wasn't a proven therapy & I was affraid of that so I went with the zerit, epivir, reyataz, norvir "cocktail." I had bad neuropathy problems while taking zerit before & I am sure those will return.

dan, if you are not happy with this, & i can see why you wouldn't be, you need to talk to your dr &/or request a second opinion.

creatinine level range is 0.7-1.2, but that is a guide, some people will have naturally higher or lower levels. How does this compare with results from past labs?one result (and i assume it is just one, not something that has been a problem before?) of 1.7, without further investigation or confirmation, does not (imho) call for urgent med-changing situation.especially to meds which you are not happy about taking, and worry may cause worsening of other issues.

Hey Dan... So are the results back? What have you and the doc decided? I'm sorry that you have to go through this whole shebang again -- fiddling and tinkering with the med combo until you find the optimal cocktail. Thinking of you matey.

Jay

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Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

I don't give a f**k what your doctor says, he isn't taking this poison, and he isn't "living with the virus". Just remember, doctors in the United States, only have about 8 hours of nutrition training in the whole of their schooling. I don't know if that number has changed from the '90s but back then this was true. Are we to believe anything about nutrition from a doctor then? I say screw the lot of them. We are a really incredible machine, and nutrition is the fuel that makes the machine work; how then is it possible that in the most advanced country on the globe, (according to most Americans, tee hee) we are to take the word of a doctor on nutrition when they don't give a damn about it in school?

I know I don't drink nearly as much water as I should through out the day. If I started drinking more would that make a difference?.................I asked him if drinking more water thru the day would help. He said no so here we go changing meds again... ..................................Options???.

All I have to say is DUH!,, Of course it will make a difference. Damn, you know the answer to this one, so please start to drink a minimum of one half gallon of water each day, and then try to make it to one gallon. Shit man, your body is 97% water, and if we don't keep the level of water in our systems circulating and replenishing, then the side effects from HAART are certainly going to be worse than better.

On the questions of options........ Yes, there are loads of them.

One is to draw a nice hot bath, light some candles and place them in and around the bathroom, gather up some music that relaxes you, find a book that is uplifting, grab a huge mug of ice cold water and a pitcher full of same and settle in for a nice long soak in the tub. Let the nerves relax, let your heart think of things that will make you happy, and PLEASE don't obsess about this particular thing. I know, preaching to the choir here, but hell Dan, you gotta take care of you sometime, and now is the perfect time. Other things will wait, and be there when you are finished, but now, you need to help you and this is one "OPTION".

Love ya man, so please keep yourself well and work through this one. Please drink more water, your body is screaming for it.

IN Love.

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The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,and 362 to heterosexuals.This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals, It's just that they need more supervision.Lynn Lavne